Carnera - Legit Champ or Circus freak?

size does not equal punching power. There is a lot of technique involved, which is why Valuev is not the hardest puncher on the scene today. I do think, in many cases, it increases your ability to take a punch. But just because he was so big does not mean that he is the hardest puncher.

I think Carnera is, by many, to be too written off. There are many who think that size is all that matters, and if heavyweights of larger size were knocked out by smaller guys, its because the bigger guy was a big novice.

Its not completely that simple.

Carnera was a decent fighter, with a decent punch. He is one of the lesser heavyweight champions of all time in my book, but he has his fair share of good wins.

Like you say, Sharkey maintained that the ko was legit. I have seen the Godfrey fight and if that was fixed, I really didn't see it.

Good movie. I love JJWalcott in it (amongst other real life fighters). I love it when the manager takes the big fighter into the room and then kind of says to Joe "Ok, let him have it" and then Joe punches him.

Good line in it as well that boxing is a tough business. A fighter who is 30 is old, but for anyone else its a young age, and how people are only around the champs when they are on top.

 

He wasn´t great or so, but very good. He beat the best fighters of his era, fighters like Sharkey, Schaaf, Uczudun, Maloney, King Levinsky, Campolo, Charles, Neusel, Godfrey, Loughran, Bearcat Wright, etc., and that he couldn´t punch is a myth like saying the 60s-Ali- version would be unbeatable, he knocked 72 opponents out in only 103 fights (89 wins), and most KO´s were real KO´s and not TKO´s or RTD´s, he also KO´d fighters who were never KO´d beside against Primo or had very good/ iron chins like Campolo, Bearcat Wright, Impelletiere, etc., that many fights of him were fixed is also false, only both Young Stribling- bouts are reported fixed fights, another lie about him is, that he had a glass chin, IMO he had a pretty solid chin, it needed 2 of the hardest HW- hitters of all times to TKO him, and both fights were massacres with unbelievable many punches. I have Carnera in my Top 50 HW-list of all times, because of his resume, and head-to-head he would be also not that bad, because of his gigantic size, weight, stamina, jab and strength...

 

Don't be fooled- He was a joke. A big, clumsy bum with no skills. Anyone with mediocre talent and/or power exposed him. The only thing he had going for him is his size.

 

That's my feeling too. Carnera is one of the worst linear champs of all time, right down there with guys like Rahman, Briggs and Marvin Hart. He seems to get overrated by some classic fans, but everything I've ever read about the guy bears out what you say. And watching how Baer annihilated him shows what a crappy chin he had too.

Just about every boxing historian I've ever read confirms that a significant portion of his fights were fixed, so one can't even be confident of the legitimatcy of his wins.

 

Legit champ. It's very popular to repeat what you've heard and say "all his fights are fixed" but i've never seen much evidence of his fixed fights. There may have been a few, but most of his fights against contenders seem to be legit. I thought the Sharkey KO looked real. Like a real champion he defended his crown often and against good challengers too. I think he deserves a bit more respect even if he wasn't as good as modern guys his size.

 

This is my take on it as well, though Carnera would be in my top 70, not top 50. The alleged fixed fights on Carnera were stories given to discredit a foreign born fighter who defeated a USA born Champion. Carnera vs Sharkey was not a fix. I have seen the fight many times. Sharkey sort of bounces off the ropes right into a Carnera uppercut. If historians want to talk about a " fixed fight " they should focus on one Carnera lost. I'm talking about the Carnera vs Pedora fight.

Here's the quick news flash from Box Rec:

Some in boxing wanted to get rid of Carnera. One writer said Carnera should only fight in a Super Dreadnaught division ( 250 pounds and up ) , because he was too big and beating many skilled, but smaller fighters. While Carnera was certainly big, he wasn't a stiff. He was rather athletic for a big man, and had unusually good stamina for a person so large. His main draw back was lack of defense which meant he took beating vs best punchers he faced in Baer and Louis. There can be no doubting Carnera's heart in these fights. While Carnera did not have a great chin, it wasn't all that bad either.

Outside the ring, Carnera was no dummy. He spoke 4 languages, and had some of his own businesses. Looking back, Carnera had quite a life. Born to poor parents who could not afford him, Carnera grew up dirt poor with his grandparents. He ran away from his home land to join a circus, then was discovered by a promoter, and made it all the way to heavyweight champion of the world.

 

Do not let a few historians who had an ax to grind against Carnera fool you. I urge you to watch his fights. Carnera will surprise you. He had some skills. Jack Sharkey, Tommy Loughran, and George Godfrey are hall of fame fighters. Carnera beat them. If you take these three out of the mix, Carnera still beat plenty of other contenders. Guys like Ruiz, Rhaman, Hart, or Briggs would not likely do as well as Carnera did fighting the same opponents.

 

Carnera was undoubtedly a legitimate champion.

Almost everybody agrees that the fights that established him as a contender and the fight where he won the title were on the level.

If he had not held the title you would have to recognise him as the outstanding contender of that period.

 

this is one aspect of Carnera that is often overlooked because he spoke poor English. In terms of his life after boxing he is one of the more industrious and sucesfull heavyweight champions.

 

The Schaaf fight was fix. I seen it. lol.

Yep Schaaf was such a great actor that he DIED in the ring. geez.

 

Some allege it was injuries he contracted in his fight with Max Baer several months earlier that led to this, and that Schaaf was, in effect, damaged goods PRIOR to fighting Carnera.

 

I really don't know if Carnera's fights were fixed or not. I've heard claims over the years, but apparently he was nearly banned from the sport for almost killing Jack Sharkey in the ring. Therefore, I don't think his title fight was rigged.

 

I dont belive the Sharkey fight was fix. That was a good uppercut, that could take nearly any one short of a iron chin out. And Sharkey didnt relly have the best of chins.

 

Carnera alos becama a noted philanthopist later in life. The Primo Carnera foundation is still a registerd charity today.

http://www.carnera.org/